Editing Tytania:Volume 2 Chapter 6 (section)

=== III ===
These were four armed vessels under the command of Doctor Lee. Through skilful coordination, they sought to form a ring of encirclement on either side of the Tytania special operation vessel.

For the Tytania special operation vessel, there was no means of escape other than to climb. Whenever it showed signs of preparing to climb, the armed vessels, having detected its intended direction, moved to intercept it. The skirmish between the two sides appeared to last quite a long time, but in reality it probably lasted less than a minute.

Having lost its escape route, the Tytania special operations vessel attempted a forced breakthrough and charged forward horizontally. With all gun ports open, it ploughed straight through the sea of atmosphere, firing in every direction. The encircling forces returned fire fiercely while dodging the enemy’s barrage.

The streams of fire tore through the crimson canvas of the sky, shattering against the hulls of those that failed to evade and scattering a mist of iridescent light. Light and flame erupted from the hull of the ''Honest Old Man''. However, in the time it took to land a single hit, the Tytania special operations vessel had been struck by ten rounds. A chain of small fireballs encircled the special operations vessel like a band of jewels.

A garish flower of explosive light bloomed above the Tarhari Desert. It was as though the sun, having once sunk completely below the horizon, had shifted to the zenith. By the time the sound of the explosion rippled across the ground, the light had already dissipated, the resulting cloud of smoke had scattered, and the space where the special-purpose vessel had once stood had been reduced to nothing.

As fragments of the special-purpose vessel rained down like a feeble shower of metal, a new explosion occurred on the ground. Doctor Lee had fired upon and destroyed the shuttle on the surface.

The situation changed completely. Tytania’s infantry units were now exposed to a one-sided attack from the air. They lost their will to fight, abandoned their heavy weapons, and broke away from their organised chain of command. Acting as a group would only lead to their complete annihilation. Each soldier had no choice but to rely on their own wits and courage to escape the predicament. Doctor Lee did not pursue the infantrymen as they scattered in all directions.



Mr&nbsp;Fan Hyulick, the fugitive with the highest bounty in the universe, was finally reunited with his comrades aboard the ''Honest Old Man''. There was no time to linger and catch up at leisure; they had to set off in a hurry. The group that had been operating a small-scale anti-Tytania resistance from their hideout in the underground caverns also seemed to have gained a new sense of confidence after managing to join forces with a contingent of the Blaze Flag Army.

Out of the corner of his eye, Fan Hyulick watched as their leader, the doctor, and Doctor Lee were discussing something, and he offered a sheepish apology to Pagès and Walenkov.

“Well, sorry to have caused you worry. Mind you, being captured by Tytania three times is quite enough of a life experience for me.”

Fan Hyulick offered this piece of sour grapes, but it was the ''Honest Old Man'' that could not get away with such a remark. The Tytania special operations vessel fought exceptionally well, firing two shots at the enemy, both of which struck the ''Honest Old Man''.

Doctor Lee addressed Captain Casimir in a voice that could hardly be described as calm.

“I’m sorry to say this, but we’d better give up on the ''Honest Old Man''. We can carry out cosmetic repairs, but it won’t withstand interstellar flight.”

Captain Compton Casimir responded to that remark with silence. It was not merely that he had lost his vocal cords and could not speak; even if that had not been the case, it must surely have been a question to which he could not have replied immediately. The ''Honest Old Man'' was not merely an inanimate object in his possession; he was his favourite partner and the very embodiment of his life itself. This was not a unique case limited to Captain Casimir; such was the nature of seasoned independent merchants. For people like that, scrapping a ship was tantamount to drawing a curtain on one’s own life.

Miranda placed her fleshy palm on her husband’s shoulder.

“Darling, it’s about time we let the ''Honest Old Man'' have a rest. He’s worked hard enough for us. He’s reached the age where he ought to hand over the reins to his son or grandson and take a well-deserved rest.”

It was not a particularly rational argument, but Captain Casimir nodded slowly. This thoughtful middle-aged man understood that this was not a situation to be swayed by personal sentiment.

“How are we going to get a new ship? As with everything else in this heartless universe, without money, you can’t even breathe.”

Alan Mahdi, who prided himself on his financial acumen, let a prosaic question roll off his tongue laced with sarcasm.

“Isn’t it your job to figure that out? What’s happened to the ingenuity you displayed back when you were a lowly foot soldier on the Tytania? It’s a pitiful state of affairs that the moment you left the organisation, your ingenuity vanished, leaving you with nothing but grumbling and sarcasm.”

Just as Mahdi was about to launch a further counterattack against Miranda’s scathing retort, Fan Hyulick interjected:

“I’ll sort out the ship.”

It wasn’t as though he had a specific plan in mind. Captain Casimir had damaged his beloved vessel to save him, so Fan Hyulick felt he had to repay that kindness.

Perhaps sensing his feelings, Captain Casimir began to form a gentle smile, but his expression changed abruptly as he cast his gaze towards a corner of the darkening sky.

Black clouds seemed to be gathering on the horizon. Both reason and instinct recognised that this was the Tytania fleet, yet even so, those who witnessed it were left momentarily dazed.

The number of vessels must have exceeded one hundred. While this represented only a fraction of Tytania’s total military might, it was more than enough to wipe out the anti-Tytania faction gathered here. Even Doctor Lee could not help but speak in a voice on the verge of losing its composure.

“It seems Lord Zarlisch Tytania is finally making an appearance in person.”

“So, what are we going to do? Are we going to fight?” asked Pagès, though he was merely asking the question.

There was no way they could survive a battle; they had no choice but to abandon the ship and flee underground. A frantic retreat began, and the sound of footsteps echoed chaotically from the giant dragon’s mouth down into its oesophagus.

“What are you all so scared of? It’s a golden opportunity that Zarlisch has come out this far. If that massive body were holed up deep within Uraniborg, we wouldn’t stand a chance, but hasn’t she come within range of our bullets?”

The voice that echoed through the cave belonged to a woman wearing a visor; in the dim light, Fan Hyulick realised she was near him. At this point, the total number of anti-Tytanian rebels who had taken refuge in the cave was around three hundred, and they had to rely on the cave’s original inhabitants to guide them. As there weren’t enough scopes to go round, they had no choice but to rely on old-fashioned torches.

Perhaps because he was an optimist at heart, Hyulick was happier to have a young, pretty woman by his side than a scruffy bloke. Once he had settled down and set his weapons and ammunition down on the ground, he asked her:

“Are you here because you’re trying to avenge your parents’ deaths or something?”

“My parents? Well, it does have something to do with them, actually.”

Lowering her voice slightly, the young woman peered into Hyulick’s eyes.

“My father is Ajman Tytania, the current Landless Clanner. My mother was an unknown woman. Nothing more than a wildflower the Clanner plucked on a whim.”

The shock seeped silently into Hyulick’s mind. In his twenty-eight years, he’d often been at a loss as to how to react, but this was the first time he’d found himself in a position where he didn’t know how to respond to a woman’s background. Ultimately, however, in such situations, one could only apologise for prying too deeply into the other person’s affairs.

“I didn’t know that. I’m sorry. I’d be grateful if you could forgive me.”

As Fan Hyulick bowed his carrot-coloured head, the young woman gazed at the wandering hero with an expression of utter sincerity.

“Hmm, just as my grandmother said. Why are men so weak when it comes to illegitimate children? It’s because they all have a guilty conscience.”

“Eh? So…?”

“It’s nonsense. My father was a pianist in a no-name pub. It’s a common enough story, but his opportunities were snatched away by a rival backed by Tytania…”

The woman sighed, and her expression changed slightly.

“Are you disappointed that I’m not a wandering princess?”

“No, not at all.”

With a wry smile playing around his eyes and mouth, Fan Hyulick waved his hand dismissively.

“It made me realise just how shallow I was, but now that I’ve had a moment to think about it, I rather feel it’s a good thing you aren’t one of Tytania’s illegitimate children.”

The woman didn’t ask why he felt that way.

“I’m sorry for spouting such nonsense.”

“I don’t mind.”

After answering so clearly, Fan Hyulick searched somewhat awkwardly for a topic of conversation, but there was nothing around him that had any connection to romanticism.

“So, does everyone harbour hatred or resentment towards Tytania?”

“That’s right. Everyone harbours negative feelings towards Tytania. After all, someone who achieves power and success can’t possibly be loved by everyone of their time.”

“Does that also apply to your leader?”

“Yeah. He lost his wife, child and hospital all at once. It was an accident at a Tytania-affiliated chemical plant. Even though it was entirely a human error, those responsible were never punished.”

She told Hyulick that her leader’s name was Doctor Ibn Kasim.

“I don’t think Tytania is deliberately picking on the weak. When an elephant walks, ants get crushed. That’s all there is to it. But ants aren’t alive just to be crushed by elephants.”

That’s a good line, thought Fan Hyulick. He hadn’t been born to fight Tytania, but he had certainly been born to be chased by her and forced to flee. Since he had no choice but to be born an ant, and given his temperament and circumstances meant he could never become an elephant’s servant, he had no option but to refuse to be crushed and fight back. Fan Hyulick’s mind began to race.

As long as Zarlisch Tytania remained determined to capture him alive, there would be plenty of opportunities to strike back. The desire to capture him alive was their own convenience; there was absolutely no need for them to show any restraint. He had begun to seriously consider how to bring down the approaching giant elephant.